Ankle rehabilitation device and method for the use thereof

ABSTRACT

An ankle rehabilitation device that is simple, affordable, durable, cost effective, easy to use, and portable is provided. The ankle rehabilitation device includes a plate member, one or more straps fixed to a front surface of the plate member and configured to hold a user&#39;s foot, and two rings fixed to a rear surface of the plate member wherein the two rings are aligned in a lateral direction of the plate member and spaced by a predetermined distance. Through the use of a method and the device in accordance with the present invention, a user who has a mild or moderate ankle injury will be able to perform an affordable ankle exercise without clinicians&#39; assist, thereby restoring the ankle strength.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ankle rehabilitation device and method for the use thereof, and more in particular, to an ankle rehabilitation device that enables patients to perform 4-way ankle exercise without clinicians' assist and method for the use thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

Ankle injury is common in athletic activity. After getting an ankle injury, strengthening the ankle is necessary for the next step of rehabilitation. The range of ankle injuries is from mild sprain (grade 1) to severe sprain (grade3). In all cases of ankle injuries, loss of function of supporting soft tissues is inevitable. When soft tissues have been injured, there is always malfunctioning of ankle ability occurred, depending on the severity of tissue damage.

The purpose of strengthening the ankle after the injury is to heal the damaged tissue faster and prevent the recurrence of the injury. Pain control and swelling decreasing is the first step of rehabilitation. After pain and swelling have subsided, restoration of a normal range of motion and strengthening the ankle is a necessary step for faster healing.

In the early stage of rehabilitation, regaining of a normal range of motion and strengthening the soft tissues is important to realign the damaged tissue and prevent damaged tissue from shortening while it's healing because the shorten and/or damaged tissue causes a decreased range of motion of the joint and recurrent injury further.

However, rehabilitation through clinicians' assist takes a lot of time and money. Thus, a simple therapeutic ankle rehabilitation device that is low in cost and easy to use is needed for patients who have a mild or moderate ankle injury so that the patients can manage the rehabilitation process without clinicians' assist.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide an ankle rehabilitation device that is durable, cost effective, and easy to use and helps patients perform 4-way ankle exercise without clinicians' assist.

The ankle rehabilitation device according to the present invention includes a plate member, one or more straps fixed to a front surface of the plate member and configured to hold a user's foot, and two rings fixed to a rear surface of the plate member wherein the two rings are aligned in a lateral direction of the plate member and spaced by a predetermined distance. Through the use of a method and the device in accordance with the present invention, a user who has a mild or moderate ankle injury will be able to perform an affordable ankle exercise without clinicians' assist, thereby helping the user restoring the ankle strength.

Each of the one or more straps may include a male fastener and a female fastener wherein the male fastener and the female fastener are configured to be coupled each other and a holding length of the each strap is adjusted by changing a coupling position of the male fastener and the female fastener. The one or more straps may be made of an elastic material or leather. The plate member may be made of polycarbonate or steel and the size of the plate member may be varied to accommodate various sizes of the users' feet.

As a patient performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device, the patient may choose a resistance band such as THERA-BAND exercise band, hook the resistance band into the two rings, place his injured foot on the front surface of the plate member and hold the injured foot with the one or more straps, grab both ends of the resistance band, and pull the resistance band for resistance.

The ankle rehabilitation device according to the present invention enables patients to perform 4-way ankle exercise without clinicians' assist when the patients have a mild or moderate ankle injury. The ankle rehabilitation device is simple, affordable, durable, cost effective, easy to use, and portable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein one or more straps are coupled;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein one or more straps are uncoupled;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a state where a user performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, by pulling a resistance band from the lateral side of the ankle rehabilitation device; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a state where a user performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, by pulling a resistance band from a heel side of the ankle rehabilitation device and through under the calf.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides an ankle rehabilitation device that enables patients to perform 4-way ankle exercise without clinicians' assist. Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein one or more straps 20 are coupled; FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein one or more straps 20 are uncoupled; and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plate member 10, one or more straps 20 fixed to a front surface of the plate member 10 and configured to hold a user's foot, and two rings 30 fixed to a rear surface of the plate member 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the one or more straps 20 may include a male fastener 21 and a female fastener 22 wherein the male fastener 21 and the female fastener 22 may be configured to be coupled each other. A holding length of the each of the one or more straps 20 may be adjusted by changing a coupling position of the male fastener 21 and the female fastener 22. The one or more straps 20 may be made of an elastic material or leather. The plate member 10 may be made of polycarbonate or steel and the size of the plate member 10 may be varied to accommodate various sizes of the users' feet. The plate member 10 may be formed to have a shape of a sole. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the two rings 30 of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 may be aligned in a lateral direction of the plate member 10 and spaced by a predetermined distance.

Through the use of a method and the device in accordance with the present invention, a user who has a mild or moderate ankle injury will be able to perform an affordable ankle exercise without clinicians' assist, thereby restoring the ankle strength. The ankle rehabilitation device 100 is specially designed to restore ankle strengthening and stretching. The main ankle exercise motion contains dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, supination, and pronation. The dorsiflexion can be defined as motion occurring in the sagittal plane that the foot moves toward to the body. Plantarflexion is the opposite of dorsiflexion and can be defined as motion occurring in the sagittal plane that the foot moves away from the body. The supination of the ankle can be defined as motion that combination of plantarflexion, inversion, and adduction of the ankle. Pronation of the ankle can be defined as motion that combination of dorsiflexion, eversion, and abduction of the ankle. The ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to the present invention helps patients perform the 4-way ankle exercise without clinicians' assist when patients have a mild or moderate ankle injury.

As a patient performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device 100, the patient may choose a resistance band 40 such as THERA-BAND exercise band, hook the resistance band 40 into the two rings 30, place his injured foot on the front surface of the plate member and hold the injured foot with the one or more straps 20, grab both ends of the resistance band 40, and pull the resistance band 40 for resistance.

FIG. 4 illustrates a state where a user performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, by pulling a resistance band 40 from the lateral side of the ankle rehabilitation device 100; and FIG. 5 illustrates a state where a user performs ankle exercise with the ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, by pulling a resistance band 40 from a heel side of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 and through under the calf. Pulling the resistance band 40 from the medial side gives resistance for eversion exercise. Pulling the resistance band 40 from the lateral side provides resistance for inversion exercise. Pulling the resistance band 40 from both the medial and the lateral sides gives resistance for plantar flexion exercise. Pulling the resistance band 40 from a heel side of the ankle rehabilitation device 100 and through under the calf provides the resistance for dorsiflexion. Another method of using the ankle rehabilitation device 100 is pulling the resistant band 40 from each direction of the plate member 10 to stretch in 4 ways.

The ankle rehabilitation device 100 according to the present invention is simple, affordable, durable, cost effective, easy to use, and portable. Through the use of a method and the ankle rehabilitation device 100 in accordance with the present invention, a user who has a mild or moderate ankle injury will be able to perform an affordable ankle exercise without clinicians' assist, thereby restoring the ankle strength. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An ankle rehabilitation device comprising: a plate member, one or more straps fixed to a front surface of the plate member and configured to hold a user's foot, and two rings fixed to a rear surface of the plate member, the two rings being aligned in a lateral direction of the plate member and spaced by a predetermined distance.
 2. The ankle rehabilitation device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more straps comprises a male fastener and a female fastener, the male fastener and the female fastener being configured to be coupled each other wherein a holding length of the each strap is adjusted by changing a coupling position of the male fastener and the female fastener.
 3. The ankle rehabilitation device of claim 1, wherein the one or more straps are made of an elastic material.
 4. The ankle rehabilitation device of claim 1, wherein the one or more straps are made of leather.
 5. The ankle rehabilitation device of claim 1, wherein the plate member is made of polycarbonate or steel.
 6. The ankle rehabilitation device of claim 1, wherein the plate member is formed to have a shape of a sole. 